Cricket Australia has made a major change to its domestic cricket scene after they dropped the British-made Dukes ball from the 2020/21 Sheffield Shield season and will completely use the Kookaburra to encourage the spinners on home pitches.

The Dukes were introduced to the Sheffield Shield in 2016/17 to help prepare Australia’s batsmen for the ball used on English pitches in the lead up to the 2019 Ashes. It resulted in Tim Paine’s side drawing the Ashes in England 2-2.

“The introduction of the Dukes ball has been a worthwhile exercise, particularly in the lead up to overseas Ashes series where the Dukes is used so well by our English opponents,” CA’s Head of Cricket Operations Peter Roach said.

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“We have noted that spin bowlers in the ... Sheffield Shield has been playing less of a role in recent seasons, most notably in games when the Dukes ball is in use. We need spinners bowling in first-class cricket and we need our batters facing spin. We hope that the change to one ball with has a positive benefit here,” Roach added.

The decision follows complaints from Australian cricketers that spin bowling is being driven out of the domestic game, in large part because of unreceptive, drop-in pitches at most major venues. The Australian team is also hopeful of being more successful in Indian subcontinent conditions where pitches are more conducive to spin.

(Reuters inputs)